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Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn

Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn rises above the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. Its spires are symbolic of Mount Meru (center of the world in Buddhist cosmology) and are richly trimmed with ceramic tiles and fragments of Chinese porcelain. The Khmer style central prang or spire  is about 79 meters high (259 ft). There are four smaller towers surrounding the central spire, an architectural feature that pays homage to Mount Neru. Notice the ornamented figures of Chinese soldiers that seem to support the tower. These prangs glitter in the light from the ornamentation that define the temple complex. A gilded door leads to one of the halls in the temple complex. The Niramitr Buddha sits calmly in the ordination hall How to get there: Take the river express ferry to Tha Tien near the Grand Palace and Wat Pho then transfer to a shuttle boat that crosses the river or take one of the more pricey tourist boats that stops at Wat Arun. Entry fee to Wat Arun is 50 ba

Images of Buddha at Wat Pho

There are hundreds of images of the Buddha at Wat Pho. In fact, King Rama III saw to the restoration of Wat Pho for the purpose of showing the images of Buddha in various positions according to Buddhist beliefs. This restoration and expansion of the temple started in 1832 and lasted for 16 years. Images of the seated Buddha, the standing Buddha, the meditating Buddha and the reclining Buddha are found in Wat Pho. Here are some of the images of the standing Buddha.  Buddha Maravichai The Buddha obtained enlightenment after meditating for 49 days under the bodhi tree. He found the answer to the causes of suffering which are greed, selfishness and ignorance. The Noble Eightfold Path preached by Buddha is the way to end suffering. These are: Right  Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. It is written that a mad elephant charged at the Buddha during his enlightened state and was

Spirit Houses in Thailand

Spirit houses are found in many countries in Asia. Some spirit houses are meant for the appeasement of spirits who dwell in the land and others are for the veneration of Phra Brahma, the Lord Creator in the Hindu religion. Sometimes a spirit house becomes a shrine when worshippers believe that their prayers were answered after making an offering at a particular spirit house.  The image of the four-faced Brahma dwells in this open-sided spirit house. Each of Brahma's faces is symbolic of kindness, mercy, sympathy and fairness. Offerings of flowers, fruits, rice, bottled water and red Fanta fill the dais of the altar. Why red Fanta? The answer could be, according to some sources, the color red is the symbol of blood and red Fanta replaces sacrificial blood. It is also sweet and the spirits like it. Glittering glass and mirror mosaics adorn this spirit house with Brahma surrounded by figurines of people and animals. This wooden spirit house resembles a Thai house an

The Reclining Buddha

The Reclining Buddha or Phra Buddhasaiyas is 46 meters long and 15 meters high (150 ft by 49 ft). S ihasaiyas refers to the  sleeping/ reclining posture of a lion.   Phra Vihara, the hall of the Reclining Buddha was built in 1832 during the reign of Rama III. The figure is made with lacquered and guilded stucco over a brick-based corpus. The Buddha’s head rests on two box pillows inlaid with glass mosaics and is supported by his right hand. The feet of the Buddha is 5 meters in length and 3 meters in height (16 ft by 9.8 ft). Notice his toes which are all even in size and height. The soles of the Buddha's feet are inlaid with mother of pearl and have 108 panels showing the auspicious symbols with which he is identified. These auspicious symbols can be grouped into three categories: symbols of fortune and prosperity such as the lotus, attributes of greatness of the king such as the throne, and religious cosmology such as the ocean and heavenly forest. There